July 15, 2009 To the Reader: About a year ago I was driving down Albany Ave. in Hartford when I noticed that I could see the Heubline Tower on Avon Mountain. I was surprised because I always look at the Heubline Tower when I am on the other side of the mountain in Simsbury. I thought about how different these two communities are but how they both share the tower and how kids probably share a lot of the same hopes and dreams. An idea rushed into me and I quickly had the frame of a story in mind. Over the next year I thought about this story often but never put it down on paper. When I was told that we would be writing a personal piece for the Connecticut Writing Project my Heubline Tower story immediately came to mind. This month I have learned a lot by writing this story and immersing myself in a writerly life. I found myself reaching for my writing journal on the weekends and worried that I might forget it when we went away for a long weekend. I was hooked. After a few weeks my Heubline tower story seemed to be floating in limbo. I just couldn’t figure out where it wanted to go, until, when I was listening to On Writing, I realized I just needed to keep writing through the hard parts and something would come. I sat at the computer wondering what to write and then I just started writing. Slowly, it began to come out and then more quickly. I didn't like most of it, in fact, I thought most of it was crap, but then I seemed to uncover an idea. My protagonist would need to get injured some way. My story still has a long way to go, but I know that I am now paying more attention to what I see and read. I plan to work on this story this year right on the wiki, so please visit often to bless or shred. Thanks, Steve Petrella
To the Reader:
About a year ago I was driving down Albany Ave. in Hartford when I noticed that I could see the Heubline Tower on Avon Mountain. I was surprised because I always look at the Heubline Tower when I am on the other side of the mountain in Simsbury. I thought about how different these two communities are but how they both share the tower and how kids probably share a lot of the same hopes and dreams. An idea rushed into me and I quickly had the frame of a story in mind. Over the next year I thought about this story often but never put it down on paper. When I was told that we would be writing a personal piece for the Connecticut Writing Project my Heubline Tower story immediately came to mind.
This month I have learned a lot by writing this story and immersing myself in a writerly life. I found myself reaching for my writing journal on the weekends and worried that I might forget it when we went away for a long weekend. I was hooked.
After a few weeks my Heubline tower story seemed to be floating in limbo. I just couldn’t figure out where it wanted to go, until, when I was listening to On Writing, I realized I just needed to keep writing through the hard parts and something would come. I sat at the computer wondering what to write and then I just started writing. Slowly, it began to come out and then more quickly. I didn't like most of it, in fact, I thought most of it was crap, but then I seemed to uncover an idea. My protagonist would need to get injured some way.
My story still has a long way to go, but I know that I am now paying more attention to what I see and read. I plan to work on this story this year right on the wiki, so please visit often to bless or shred.
Thanks,
Steve Petrella